BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Martians?!?!?!?

Over the years, as scientists attempt to fathom life on other planets, water has been the focal point of their searchings. Humans can only live about one week with out water, while other animals, such as dogs, can only live about three to four days with out water. Therefore, it is logical for scientists to deduce that for there to be life on other planets, there must also be water.

Recently, a unique “martian meteorite” was found in Northwest Africa. It is the first meteorite found that contains “substantially more water“. Also, it is “in a a class in itself” concerning its chemical make up. Scientists speculate that the “martian crust” came from Mars, as it resembles rocks and soil previously found on Mars. The differences scientists have found between this new meteorite, labeled Northwest Africa 7034, suggests that Mars may be more diverse than expected.

New Martian Meteorite containging record amounts of water.

There is the possiblity that the meteorite was contaminated by water on Earth, though scientist Derek Sears maintains that “it doesn’t look like terrestrial water”.

Either way, Northwest Africa 7034 is an interesting new discovery and has helped to build upon our knowledge of the universe around us. The thought that there are still so many things we have yet to discover is exciting.

 

 

Sources:

main article: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347362/description/New_Martian_meteorite_is_one_of_a_kind

extra articles: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_can_a_dog_live_without_water

http://www.livestrong.com/article/494958-how-long-can-the-average-human-go-without-water/

photo:

Hubble's Sharpest View of Mars

 

 

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7 Comments

  1. inewitt

    Great article, it’s always fun to speculate what might be out there. I believe that any discovery of life will come from outside of our solar system. The most likely candidates for that fall in the “goldilocks zone” a strip of habitable area in the universe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitable_zone

  2. thephilosopher

    In line with your inquiry into extraterrestrial life, Curiosity, the rover currently wandering the lonely sands of the Martian desert, has discovered something mysterious on the red planet’s surface. A curious piece of metal protruding from the ground was captured by a camera and sent back to NASA. Speculation has run rampant, but no one is quite sure just what it is. Here are a couple relevant links about the discovery:

    http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/02/09/mars-curiosity-unknown-object/

    http://www.mobilemag.com/2013/02/09/curiosity-metal-object-mars/

  3. dwil

    I also have always thought that life on other planets can only exist where there is water. While many argue that this isn’t true, I don’t see a way that it can occur any other way. This article and post described the meteor is very interesting. Now that water has been proved to have existed on Mars and even still exists today away from our planet, I think the possibility of extraterrestrial life is even more plausible. Here is another interesting article about Mars.

    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/130115-curiosity-mars-drill-water-space-science/

  4. leahna

    Scientists have also started to find water on other planets too

    (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1642811,00.html)

    But when trying to find a planet similar to earth, there are other considerations scientists need to take into account: size, distance from it’s sun, heat level, gasses in the atmosphere, etc.
    I think it would be incredibly interesting if there was life on another planet, but I think if we find life within our lifetime it will be microscopic organisms.

  5. leahna

    Scientists have also started to find water on other planets too (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1642811,00.html)
    But when trying to find a planet similar to earth, there are other considerations scientists need to take into account: size, distance from it’s sun, heat level, gasses in the atmosphere, etc.
    I think it would be incredibly interesting if there was life on another planet, but I think if we find life within our lifetime it will be microscopic organisms.

  6. biosasha11

    This was really interesting to read. Right now, researchers are drilling below Antarctica’s ice for evidence of life in the solar system, such as Mars. Scientists hope to find microbial communities under the ice. Hopefully this research will lead to more evidence and more understanding. Maybe there is life on Mars!

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/science/wissard-project-seeks-signs-of-life-under-antarctica.html

  7. troybolton

    Nice article Bg95! This is really cool finding. It is interesting to think that there might be life out there besides on our planet. While it is necessary for life to have with water, as far as we know, there are some microbes that require very little water to thrive. These microbes form a very thin crust over the dirt, and use this to survive in areas where there are little water. Some say that this may be the type of life on Mars.

    http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/extreme/withoutwater/index.html

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